People have become used to working independently and view collaboration as a nuisance. Staff may not feel mutually accountable to one another for the team’s objectives. There may be a lack of commitment and effort, conflict between team goals and members’ personal goals, or poor collaboration.

Many organizations invest time and money for events to help team members bond together and function more effectively as a team; staff return from these outings with a lot of enthusiasm and excitement, yet results are hard to quantify and short term at best.

For me, leadership is an act — a decision to take a stand, or step, in order to encourage, inspire or motivate others to move with you. What’s more, the most effective leaders do not rely on their title, or positional power, to lead. Rather, their ability to use their own personal power combined with their use of strategic influence are what make them effective.